The Dusk Dragon
by BunnyOfMint
Summary: After spending time flying with Corrin's dragon form, Xander gets an idea of his own. He goes to Leo, hoping his brother can help his absurd plan along. Xander/Corrin, prompt. Done for Corriander week, albeit a bit late.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Done for "Day 3: Dragon". Enjoy! It's very late for Xander/Corrin because I've been extremely busy with career matters, but better late than never.

There is a small detail in the story about Corrin's parentage that is spoilers if you haven't played the Hidden Truths DLC. If this isn't cool, I'd recommend not reading this. Thanks Anyways!

* * *

Xander watched as his wife contorted, a white light emitting from her as she crawled back into her human form. His lungs were tight, and his curly hair was blown back from flying with the dragon. He watched as her scales finished disappearing.

Corrin returned to two legs, and she stepped over to the king, wrapping her arm around his. She tilted her head, nuzzling his shoulder.

The blond spared a look down at the woman. Her eyes were wide with wonder, her breathing labored; Xander could still hear her accelerated heartbeat. Her body hadn't calmed from the flight, despite having returned to its human shape. They walked through the courtyard of their castle, heading back inside.

"Did you enjoy it?" the queen asked. Xander chuckled, reaching his left arm over to squeeze her hand. She looked up at him with glowing eyes, anticipating his response. He leaned in and stole a sweet kiss, his lips retreating before she realized they were together.

"Of course. Although I must say, I could have done without that spin." He chuckled, thinking about how his wife had tucked her wings in, spinning sporadically several times before spanning out again and catching air. Despite his tolerance for flying, the aerial flip had lurched his stomach, and threatened his grip on Corrin's back. The maneuver should be reserved for solo flights, Xander decided.

His wife twirled in front of him; her hands settled on the king's elbows. They stopped walking as her eyes met his. The woman was smiling sheepishly, and her face was a bit red.

"I really am sorry about that. It was the first time I've been able to fly since Kana was born." She rubbed his arms up and down. He smiled, reaching an arm down behind her knees, the other on her back. He carefully hoisted the girl up and carried her like he had on their wedding night. The blond began walking again; two guards opened the large wooden doors for him, and he carried Corrin inside of their castle.

"I've already forgiven you, my queen," he said, allowing the girl to grab his head and pull him into another sweet kiss. His footsteps echoed on the hard floor; Nohr was still a harsh land, but it had gotten better since he'd stepped into head of the monarchy.

As if his thoughts wanted to prove themselves, a different door burst open behind them. Xander turned, his wife swaying in his arms; he watched as three children bumbled out of the doorway, running fast and laughing with each breath they caught. Elise sprinted in behind, her dress floating along.

"Hurry, hurry! Uncle Odin is gonna catch us!" she shouted. They zoomed down the hall, towards the king and queen. The group bustled over each other, shouting and giggling as they rushed at top speeds. Xander felt his wife's lungs grow and suck in a breath.

"Run fast, Siegbert! You don't want to get caught!" She shouted to her son; the boy looked up the hall, his face brightening at the sight of his parents. Ophelia and Forrest ran with him as they passed the monarchs. Elise followed the kids, ushering the wild herd through the corridor. She shot her siblings a smile before continuing her escape. A heartbeat later, Odin came through in the same entrance, sliding in dramatically and swinging his cape for extra flair.

"Odin Dark follows you swiftly! I come for you heathens!" he bellowed. Xander chuckled as the family ran through the halls, letting them disappear from sight before continuing his pace. His wife snuggled into his shoulder, closing her eyes. The king felt her warm breath upon his collarbone; it was silent again until they reached their quarters.

They approached the door. From her husband's arms, Corrin reached forward and turned the brass handle. The oak wood swayed open, revealing their quarters.

Their room was the biggest in the castle. Xander had completely refurbished the room and furniture after Garon's death; the thought of sleeping in his late father's bed unnerved him. He thanked his lucky stars for being royalty, as such a process couldn't have been afforded by anyone else.

Next to their bed, a small wooden crib rested a sleeping baby; their second son. Felicia sat next to it, monitoring the prince in his sleep, a book in her lap. At the royals' arrival, she stood and curtsied, grabbing her book.

"Your majesties; he has slept since you left," she nodded, departing to the door. Xander gave his thanks to the servant while his queen rolled out of his arms, walking forward. Corrin crouched by the crib, her fingers caressing the child's sparse hair. The king sat on the edge of the bed, pulling his feet out of his boots. He began to unbutton his violet vest, and soon after his undershirt; both garments dropped to the floor.

He listened to his wife gently cooing at their child. Truthfully, the blond was happy their son was still asleep. Xander loved being a father, but this child was much more rowdy than Siegbert had been, and many of his moments spent awake were also spent begging for attention.

His wife gave up her gloating and stood, climbing on Xander's lap. She pushed his chest down so he lay on the bed; her knees folded on either side of him. The king sat still, allowing the queen to dominate, and was greeted with a sultry kiss on his lips. Her small hands rubbed against his bare chest, caressing his hardened skin. When the blond tried to grab her, she rolled away, a giggle accompanying her. She continued her roll until her head rested on the pillows, and beckoned the man with a finger.

Xander crawled up to her, crouching above the maiden. His blond curls swished around as he leaned down and caught her in another kiss. Corrin's hands embraced his cheek as they locked their mouths together. He would have been content to continue this through the night, but the sound of crying interrupted them. Their lips parted and they froze, as if they could hide from the sounds; but another scream broke the silence. Xander dropped his head between Corrin's neck and shoulder, smothering himself with the bed. The queen sighed, and pressed one more kiss to the shoulder in front of her.

"Go on, papa," she teased her husband. Xander pulled himself off the bed, landing his feet next to the cradle. He reached down and gently scooped up the prince, pulling the infant against his bare chest. With their child in his arms, the king carefully slid back onto the mattress.

"How's my son?" he murmured to his son.

Kana's cry was distracted by the deep rumbling of the king's voice, and he turned his eyes to his father. They were still watery, but it had caught him enough to sway the tears away. Corrin wrapped herself against her husband, smiling at the child. Xander pulled his legs up to an angle and rested the boy against his thighs.

"Look at him, I really think he's going to have your blond hair," she chuckled. Although there wasn't much hair to speak of at his age, the locks shone with color. Babies were always finicky with colors, but Siegbert had come with snow white curls immediately; Kana, however, had the sunshine tresses befitting his Nohrian blood. The prince had calmed, staring at his parents.

"Oh, but he has your ears. I think we have a dragon on our hands." He smiled. "Isn't that right, Kana? You've got your mama's ears!" He tickled the prince; at the sight of his father's smile, Kana also broke out in a gummy grin. He'd completely forgotten he was just crying.

"Speaking of dragons…" Corrin started, dragging her fingers against her husband's chest. Xander began babbling at the prince, who babbled back at him. In the presence of family, he allowed himself such frivolity. Kana tried his hardest to reciprocate his father, a big smile on the prince's face as he watched.

"Speaking of dragons…?" the King echoed, giving his attention to his wife now that his son wasn't crying. Corrin sat up farther, her shoulder now level with Xander's. She snatched the prince from her husband, and attacked the baby with a flutter of kisses on his forehead and cheeks; a happy coo came from the prince. The queen pulled back and rested her head on the king's shoulder.

"I really am sorry about that roll earlier. I could have dropped you." Her eyes were lowered. "I just forget that not everybody has wings."

Xander smiled and kissed her head. Only his wife would forget that humans can't fly. He reached to the bedside table, grabbing the colorful cotton ball there and handing it to his son. Kana was immediately enamored with the toy, doing his best to grab it and eat it. Xander pulled the ebony crown from his head and placed it where the ball had just been.

"Little princess, it's alright. I know it won't happen again." He'd resorted to using her dearest nickname to soothe her. He added with a quiet chuckle, "I'm sorry I don't have wings."

"No, Xander! Stop teasing me!" She put the baby back on his legs and buried her face in his chest. Oh, if he could have wings, that would be interesting. After all, Corrin's power came from her royal blood; maybe he had a dragon in him somewhere?

"I'm serious, little princess. Maybe I should have wings; I should mention it to Leo." He passed Kana back to his mother. It was almost time for him to eat, anyway, so hopefully the queen wouldn't follow him out the room. He climbed off the bed and ran through the door, in a race with himself to Leo's workspace.

"Visiting me shirtless, brother? Surely your desires for having a sibling bed with you stopped at Corrin?" Leo could jest like a master, not even taking his eyes off his work.

Xander scoffed, realizing he'd forgotten to don his shirt again in his hurry. He paid no mind to the taunt; he knew his siblings were happy about his choice for queen, despite their initial shock.

Since they'd destroyed Iago in the war, Leo had taken the rat's laboratory and made it his own. After several dead bodies were pulled out of it, the place wasn't so bad; just terribly dark, due to the absence of windows. Leo's studies piled over every desk; stacks of books and parchments rolled across the floor. An alchemy table sat in the corner with too many strange liquids, producing the oozing stench that permeated the room.

"You really should clean this place up."

"Any time spent cleaning the laboratory could have been spent working. Perhaps when the next generation gets old enough to use it, I will. The study of magic has eluded Elise, despite her high aptitude for the arts." He shot a glance around the room. "…It's not that messy, either. I know where everything is."

"What are you working on, now?"

"Odin was kind enough to give me some tomes from his homeland. I'm trying to recreate their power, but it's proving difficult."

"Ah… Should I come back? Or may I have a moment of your time?"

Leo gestured to a chair next to his desk; it was covered in books. Xander walked over, setting the book stacks on the floor, next to the legs of the chair. He sat down, sighing and crossing a leg over his knee. The king waited in silence for a lull before clearing his throat.

"So, do you remember when you studied Corrin's dragonstone? And her transformation?" Xander started. He took to drumming his fingers on the armrest of the chair.

"Yes, I do. What about it?"

"What exactly allows her to transform?"

Leo stopped scribbling on his parchment, dropping the quill and reclining in his chair. He laced his fingers across his stomach.

"It's in her blood. She has an unusually high potency of dragon's blood. Half, at least, is dragon; maybe more. Anankos' blood was purely draconic. I don't know of the late Queen Mikoto's aptitude, though.

"This, combined with a dragonstone - which raises her ability to resonate with the blood - allows her to become a dragon. It's also why bare transformations, with no dragonstone, are dangerous; if she drops the stone, her blood and ability to maintain the dragon drop as well, and she becomes human again. But without the stone, without a catalyst, there is no physical way to control how well she resonates with her dragon form. This makes it possible for her to never turn human again."

"What about us? How much do you and I have?"

"Hmm... Enough to interact with dragon veins: more than the average man. Are you planning to become a dragon yourself, Xander?"

"Actually, yes, that's the plan," Xander answered. Leo tensed, and turned his head and gazed at his brother. Xander returned the stare. The mage sighed, relaxing his muscles again.

"I won't say it's impossible," he mumbled. The king grinned, leaning towards his brother.

"What say you? Would you like to turn me into a dragon?" the king asked. Leo pursed his lips, trying to hide his smile; he tapped his fingers against themselves, a plot beginning to hatch in his mind.

"Absolutely."

* * *

Chapter 2 later this week. I have to finish going through the beta stuff  
S/O to TheRepeat for beta-ing this for me. I've been crazy busy so they've been a big help to me! Go check them out, they write FE fanfiction too.


	2. Chapter 2

If applicable, sorry for the wait on this chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

A week had passed since Leo's conversation with Xander, and he had spent the time drawing up ideas on how to tap into his brother's dragon blood. He'd asked Azura how she procured dragonstones, and how they worked; he'd sifted through his old works and spent time working around Dragon Veins. Several times, he went to Corrin to observe her stone and transformation.

Leo decided that a stone wouldn't procure the amount of potency Xander needed to transform. He'd considered enchantments, but he didn't even know how to begin weaving such a spell. His best bet was a potion. It would be part of the king, unlike the dragonstone, and would wear off as his body began to dispel the liquid.

Blood potions were not Leo's style, but fortunately, Iago had been kind enough to leave behind his works, and Leo drew more inspiration from them.

And now, the royal stared at the small glass vial in his hand: one of Nohr's prized possessions. Thick, dark blood rolled around inside, stopped by the cork at the top - the blood of Anankos.

When he'd salvaged the blood after the final fight, Leo hadn't known what he might use it for. But it was powerful indeed; one drop of this would turn even the most human blood into a dragon.

But still, the prince was worried. He didn't know enough about what he was doing to feel secure in his abstractions, let alone enough to test it on the king of Nohr. But his brother was so enthusiastic, spending many hours in Leo's study with him; each time the king tried to help, Leo had to shoo him off, as he would do more harm than good. So the paladin relented to sitting at a spare desk, in quiet excitement, reading books or practicing penmanship while he silently cheered his brother on.

His wife had gotten a bit frustrated; nothing unusual, it happened from time to time when Leo got absorbed in his works. But between her and Xander's insistence to be with him while he studied on it, Leo wanted nothing more than to finish the concoction.

And so, his theory work done, he spent several hours bent over the alchemy table, his instructions pulled across it as he began mixing what he hoped would be a draconic elixir. He added more ingredients, heated this, stirred that; a strong fetor began to reek from the potion. The mage separated it into three vials: two main potions, and the third for a lesser concoction. He dripped a smidge of Anankos' blood into one of the final potions, saving the rest for other projects. The brew began to steam; Leo suppressed it with a cork.

He smiled, elated with his work. Hopefully it would produce the results he sought.

"I wonder what you'll look like." Corrin's head lay on her husband's stomach, balancing Kana on her own. She held the child's side as he stood, letting the prince try to balance and learn his newest skill. His head was too big, and he wobbled into a fall when without the queen's help.

"I've wondered if I'll look like your dragon… but Leo's not even sure he can make the potion," Xander murmured, combing his hand through silver locks. The woman giggled as her son slipped onto his butt, landing safely on her stomach, but startling himself nonetheless.

"It's Leo; he can do anything he puts his mind to," she answered.

"Damn right I can," proclaimed a new voice from the door. The king and queen turned their heads to find their brother leaning in the doorway with a cocky grin. He held three potions by the stems of the vial in his fingers, and two books in his other hand.

"Leo!" the queen shouted happily. Kana smiled at him as well.

"Eeeeooo!" The prince repeated his mother's sounding.

"Hey, that's not fair! He's closer to saying 'Leo' than he is to saying 'papa'," Xander grumbled.

The mage smirked, walking into the room, dodging various toys on the ground and taking a seat at the table. He placed the potions gently on the wood, and set his books down as well.

"It's only fair, since I'm the best uncle," he teased.

"He's got plenty of uncles!" Corrin chimed. Leo laughed.

"Then my point still stands, dear sister," the mage replied. The queen shook her head, standing up and carefully pulling her son into her arms as she approached her brother. Xander followed, sliding off the bed and taking a seat at the table.

"I'll make sure to repeat that when Ryoma visits again," she toted; Leo froze a bit, but brushed it off, keeping his air about him. If the Hoshidans caught wind of his comment, they'd surely challenge him to a 'best uncle' duel. So would Odin; Leo reckoned he had just started a tournament between some of the worthiest warriors he knew, each tempered in the war with the fallen dragon.

"Alright, best uncle aside, I have a present for your majesties," Leo said, tapping one of the vials. Kana, who was standing on his mother's thighs, tried to reach for one of them, but his uncle swiftly pulled it away, raising an eyebrow at the prince. Kana was beaming at his uncle, making Leo chuckle.

"Keep the young prince away; they would be fatal to a child," the mage said, eliciting a nod from the rulers.

The three triangle vials were various shades of red, one so dark it could be mistaken for charcoal. They sat in clear glass bottles, each with a rope wrapped around the base that tied a slip of paper to each. Xander reached for one—the lightest red, a sweet cherry color—and twisted it so he could read the parchment.

On the potion, scribbled in Leo's handwriting: ' _Draconic elixir (alpha)_ '.

Xander's heart soared. Leo had done it! He looked at his brother, who had folded his arms and was leaning against the table.

"These potions will not be pleasant to drink, and I am not sure they will truly work, either. But if my speculation is correct, they will turn you into a dragon." Leo tapped the vial of the lightest hue. "This one is the weakest: the alpha potion. It has the lowest potency, and is the safest, but also the most likely to fail. At the least, it will give you a few hours' time as a dragon before it wears off."

The mage moved his hands, touching the dark wine-colored vial next. "In the middle: beta. You'd be looking at half a day with this one, assuming it works. These first two are pretty tame, and I could recreate them so long as I have my laboratory and correct ingredients. They were made using Corrin's blood."

Xander looked over at his wife; now that he was paying attention, he noticed a long cut traced along her palm. He hadn't realized Leo had been using her to make the potions, and the thought made him wince. But the queen caught his eye, and she smiled at him for reassurance.

"This last one," Leo tapped the charcoal potion, "was made with the blood of Anankos. The epsilon, or grade five, Draconic Elixir; the only one of its kind, and I would be hard pressed to ever make more than three of these. I can only speculate on its ability. You'd be in a draconic form for several days at least – and while it should be safe to drink, I don't know what power could still come from his blood. This, I realized late; but now that it has been crafted, it should be kept inside our deepest treasury, next to the Bölverk axe. However… if anybody could drink it and not die, it would be you, brother."

The bedroom was silent, aside from Kana slapping the table with his hands and babbling at his uncle. Xander nodded his head, the precaution Leo spoke of sinking in.

"However, if you'd like, we can try the alpha grade. If the transformation works, and you differ from Corrin's dragon, I would like several minutes to study you. Then you may do as you wish with your draconic form, and fly off." Leo finished.

"Well, the sooner the better. Do you think Camilla will watch Kana?" Corrin asked.

Xander rolled his eyes at the thought of their sister. "I worry about us getting our son back if we give him to Camilla," he muttered. The other two laughed, and Kana gurgled alongside them.

"Siegbert is studying swordplay with Silas, and I don't worry about leaving him for a few hours. He's very busy with his tutors today, actually." Corrin's eyes shone as everything lined up, and she turned her glowing eyes to her husband. He returned the gaze, a smile of anticipation upon his face.

"Shall we go now, my queen?"

"Yes. Yes, please!"

* * *

The other two potions had been stored; the beta grade back in Leo's laboratory, and the epsilon of Anankos to the deepest treasury by Xander himself. The youngest prince of Nohr and Valla had been given to his aunt, who ecstatically agreed to watch her nephew. Siegbert had taken a short break from his studies; he stood with his wooden sword in hand and, alongside Silas, watched his parents from afar.

Leo handed the alpha grade to his brother, treating the vial with gentle care. The king took it, waiting for instructions before doing anything.

"It will taste awful, and you will want to wretch it up. But you must drink it all, swiftly, lest you do not finish it."

Xander nodded his head, swirling the thick potion around in his hand. His wife rubbed his arm soothingly. Silas watched with worry for his king and queen, his friends; Siegbert watched with wonder at the knowledge that both his parents might be dragons now. Their eyes followed Xander's every movement: the king removed the cork and quickly chugged the liquid, as fast as it would pour down his throat.

The king began stuttering, and Leo swiftly pulled the bottle from the king before he collapsed onto the ground. Xander's hand covered his mouth, knuckles white, and he began to glow. His entire body felt tense, like it was being ripped apart, and he couldn't fight a scream as the light emitted from him became blinding. The scream changed, becoming a roar, and Silas stood protectively in front of the prince, not sure of what to expect.

Fire came out with the roar, torching from the now dying light. Leo and Corrin backed off, and as it died, there stood an ebony dragon, with golden horns and claws.

Siegbert peeked out from behind the knight, and saw… his father? That fire spouting dragon was his father? His eyes were wide with awe.

As Xander began to realize himself, he shut his jaw with an audible clack. He felt lighter, but much bigger. His back felt top heavy; he rotated his shoulder blades and felt huge leathery flaps whack against the ground. Wings! He had wings! He stretched his claws and roared again, spinning his head and shaking his scales.

Corrin was the first to run back up to him, hugging his front leg.

"Xander! You're beautiful!" she exclaimed, but Xander could not hear it. His senses were incredibly sharp, and he turned his long neck down to gaze at his wife. Her eyes shone, and she began tearing up, a huge smile on her face. Gods, she looked even more beautiful! He could see every strand of hair, every blemish on her skin, the blood vessels in her eyes. He saw each fiber in her loose shirt, and he saw _down_ her shirt too, eliciting a small tail waggle.

Oh, he had a tail, too. He began swishing it through the air, and opened his mouth to speak, but a low growl came out instead. Startled, he cut off the sound. The dragon settled for craning his head down, and wrapping it against his wife's back, curling around her. He felt her heartbeat against his scales, and she wrapped her arms around his thick neck, gently scratching and tracing along his bumps.

"You're so warm, Xander. And you were shooting fire! I'm rather jealous." She giggled teasingly, placing kisses on his scales. He let out another appreciative growl, and blew hot steam from his nostrils against her back. Leo approached now, a journal in one hand while he furiously scribbled in it. He, too, looked like he was having fun; the mage had a fire in his eyes.

"My brother, you look like exactly like the drawings and sculptures of the dusk dragon," Leo stated, scribbling some more. Xander felt his wife pull away, and he guttered at her. She smiled and pressed another smooch on his face, next to his eye. The king decided that the stories of dragons kidnapping maidens must be true; he wished to snatch Corrin and fly away into the mountains with her.

Corrin stepped back and fully began to examine her husband's new form. "It's true, Xander. You look like the dusk dragon." She gazed at the king. His legs were stubby, compared to her own dragon form; and he had eyes, and scales, unlike her too. The scales were black, but incredibly shiny, like slices of obsidian laid in patterns across his skin. Golden horns protruded from his head, so sharp they made the most heroic of swords become toys. His iris was an amber color, with the rest of the eye being a harsh black. His tail protruded a bundle of spikes, like a smaller counterpart to the crown of his head.

Corrin crouched and examined his belly; leathery, bronzish skin covered it, and no scales. His feet were slim and branched off into three toes that ended in golden claws. She reached forward and held one; the claw was longer than her hand. Xander rustled his scales again, laying down and curling his neck around his wife. Leo circled around, chuckling to himself, and continued to scribe.

Xander heard footsteps, small footsteps, running towards him. The dragon knew it was Siegbert, bolting across hedges to meet his father. Silas stayed respectfully back as the prince approached the royals.

Siegbert came up to his father, still so young and short that the prince was smaller than his father's draconic head. He reached his hands up and touched his father's snout. Xander puffed steam into his son's face, and Siegbert jumped in shock, but then laughed and rubbed the king's nose.

Xander had thought he'd have immediately wanted to fly, but he was ecstatic on the ground, his son rubbing his snout and his wife tracing her fingers through his scales. He remembered the first time he saw Corrin's dragon, and how much time he'd spent running his hands across her antlers and body; was this how she'd felt? Gods, this was—

There was a harsh pinch on his thigh, and his head bolted up while he let out a roar. He looked back to his thigh, seeing Leo had pulled off one of his scales with a knife. Xander spun his body, mindful of his child and wife, and butted his nose into his brother's stomach.

It pushed the mage a bit, but Leo paid it no mind, carefully putting the scale in a drawstring bag before facing his brother.

"I need another scale," he commanded, and Xander's eyes glowed while he growled at the man, his lips pulling up and baring fangs. Leo's eyes widened in awe, and he suddenly seemed as if he wanted to pull one of Xander's teeth, too. The dragon shuddered, knowing of Leo's lust for his studies.

Xander turned and pressed his head against his wife; she understood the message, and gracefully slid onto his back. He then fled from Leo, moving his new wings. They spread out so far, almost touching the castle. Corrin shouted in glee as he beat harder, faster, and then they were in the air. It was strange to not be attached to anything, save for his wife who was carefully pressed on his neck. They rose into the sky, Leo's shouting becoming distant.

The sun bathed his midnight scales, making him shine so brightly that he briefly fancied himself more beautiful than the sky. He shimmered as his muscles moved, and roared in elation, surprising himself as flames shot ahead. He swung his hips forwards and beat his wings furiously, coming to a stop; Corrin probably wouldn't appreciate flying through flames.

She was laughing, still clinging lovingly onto him; and she reached her head forward and pressed several kisses on his scales again. Her caresses tingled; he roared again, this time intentionally letting out fire. It came out with intense force, the middle of the flames a jet blue that gradated into orange as it dispersed into the sky.

And then he felt his wife slip off. Xander panicked, stopping his flames and seeing her freefall, and he was about to dive for her; but she held out her stone, and in that flash of light, turned into her own draconic form. The queen flapped her wings, roaring at her husband. He - carefully, trying to keep his fires inside - roared back.

The Vallite dragon swooped up and pressed their faces together; it was hard for Xander to hold still in midair, but Corrin compensated. She rubbed her neck down his, and the king felt her throat grumbling in happiness. Then she shut her wings and swooped down into a roll before flying off towards the mountains. Xander huffed and followed her.

He was awful at flying compared to her. She knew when to tuck her wings in and spin beautifully, how to twist her tail and steer herself in precise angles. But she also had a slimmer form, making her much more agile. Xander's bulky dragon did not fare well with her acrobatics, but he was able to shoot fire to make up for it. He'd shoot a column of heat out, and his wife would dip and dive around it, cooing and growling at her king in happiness.

They flew for quite some time, and as the sun began to set, the king felt his vision become blurry and his head become unbearably weighted.

Xander found a moment to land in the mountains. He curled up, feeling sick to his stomach; and after several minutes, he finally returned to his human form. His body shrank and felt heavier than he remembered.

He was winded - exhausted. His wings ached, even though he no longer had wings. A small rash adorned his thigh where Leo had pulled a scale.

Soon, Corrin alighted nearby, rustled with concern. She moved to warmly encircle her husband, and he reclined against her, falling asleep.

Later Corrin would wake up her sleeping husband, and she would fly back to the castle with him on her back. They would land, and Leo would scold them for not giving him more time to study before he flew off. But he would sigh and go back to his laboratory with what he had, making Xander promise to allow him more study time in the future.

The king and queen would pull their youngest prince from the clutches of his aunt, who intended to keep the young dragon prince forever; after convincing her, they would then return to their quarters. Soon after, Siegbert would bound in, unusually happy for his normally calm composure, and sit on his father's lap and ask him all sorts of questions. The king and queen would laugh, and promise to take their son flying sometime. The royal family would fall asleep together, two princes curled in between their parents.

But for now, deep in the mountains, Corrin curled her head against her tail, fully encircling the king, and she allowed herself to doze off with him.

* * *

So I really am sorry about the wait (if you were waiting). Holidays = no free time; and I really ought to stop saying, "I'll have it out in X weeks" or similar, it just makes the wait longer.

I've never spent so much time in the editing stage, but I believe it well worth the time. Again, shout out to TheRepeat for ripping it apart and making it better :') Hopefully I can do better next time, both at the writing and the post-edit. I don't think I absorbed even half of Repeat's notes to their full extent.

Thanks for reading! I really appreciate it if you've made it to this point.


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